Recovery Stories
BRAT Seattle found my bike being sold on OfferUp, engaged with the seller, and set up the "sale" in a Safe Zone (blocks away from SPD) within 24 hours. Thank you BRAT and, thank you Bike Index!!! translated from English
BRAT Seattle got a tip and found my contact details on Bike Index. I went with the Seattle Police to get it. translated from English
Thank you Boulder Bike Index! Boulder PD gave me a call saying someone had found it and turned it in. Happy to be reunited! translated from English
Bike Index sleuth spotted a guy riding it and confronted him translated from English
The police recovered it, looked it up on Bike Index, and contacted me! translated from English
Someone on Bike Index messaged me and said they found it. It wasn’t complete but I did get the bike back which is completely because of Bike Index. I made a donation so they can keep this going! translated from English
Thanks to Bike Index and the Calgary Police I have my bike back. translated from English
Amazingly, this was the second time this bike was recovered. The first time it was stolen out of my house. This time out of my car. Somehow the Portland Police found it, checked Bike Index, and called me. I couldn't believe I got it back, both times thanks to Bike Index! translated from English
Cory from Center for Bicycle Repair called about a bike that came into his shop. He ran it through Bike Index and reached out immediately. I picked it up on the same day. Never thought I'd see it again and relatively unscathed! This registry is amazing. Can't thank y'all enough! translated from English
Someone bought my bike and then checked Bike Index. He found out it was stolen so called me to return it. Thanks to the honest buyer and Bike Index I have my bike back! translated from English
The bike was stolen then put for sale on Kijiji. The purchaser went to list its serial on Bike index and saw the it was a stolen bike and turned it in to the police. My thanks to him, the police and Bike Index. translated from English
The amazing Boulder Police department recovered my bike and leveraged Bike Index to track it, confirm its status and ownership! Thank you to everyone involved! translated from English
Bryan at Bike Index notified me that my bike was for sale on Offerup! I contacted the seller and informed him that the bike had been stolen and provided pictures/info, including my Bike Index registration. From video, I knew he was not the person that stole the bike. translated from English
A guy found it for sale on OfferUp and saw it listed on Bike Index as stolen. Huge thank you! translated from English
I received a call from the local police. They seized the bike and upon searching Bike Index they discovered it was stolen and promptly returned it to me. Thank you so much EPS and Bike Index! translated from English
Someone found it in their condo building, found my listing on Bike Index, and reached out to me to return the bike! translated from English
Wentworth Institute of Technology campus police found it. They found my info through Bike Index! translated from English
Some very nice people found my bike abandoned. They looked up the serial number through Bike Index and were able to get in touch with me! Bike Index even sent me a reminder email as I had missed the first one. I got my bike back less than 3 days after it was stolen! translated from English
A user on Bike Index reached out to me directly. We went down to the last known location and recovered with the help of Seattle PD. Thank you so much!! translated from English
It was posted on Marketplace about an hour away. Someone found it on Bike Index and called me. I tried to arrange "buying" it from seller but it was sold. The Sheriff got the buyer's number, let them know it was stolen, and the seller had to refund him and I picked it up. translated from English
I received a text tip from a Bike Index user who found it on OfferUp. translated from English
Calgary Transit found the guy with my bike and turned it into Calgary Police. They contacted me after finding my post on Bike Index. translated from English
It was found left out and unlocked. Someone collected it and turned it in. Eventually they looked up the serial number and found it marked missing through Bike Index. translated from English
Wonderland Gear Exchange contacted me after someone - who'd been sold the bike by someone else a year earlier - wanted to consign the bike with them. Huge thanks to Wonderland Gear Exchange and Bike Index! Reunited - and it feels so good! translated from English
A kind person noticed the bike in their neighbourhood and sent me a message through Bike Index. I contacted the local police who confirmed it was mine, then my brother-in-law went and liberated it for me! translated from English
Thanks to Bike Index!! and the Colorado Springs Police Department! The bike was recovered after being posted and sold on Craigslist. We texted with the seller, passed all information to the PD and the bike was recovered. translated from English
A neighbour spotted it in their alley near where it was taken and called it in to Calgary Police Service. CPS matched it to the serial from the report and Bike Index, called me, and returned it right away. Forever grateful to CPS, Bike Index, and the Bike Index community. translated from English
The transit police recognized it by this great site! translated from English
A good samaritan reported it directly to me and helped recover it. translated from English
Edmonton Police saw someone riding it and searched Bike Index. They repossessed it from the new owner who bought it out of somebody's trunk at a gas station for $80. This site really does work! I wouldn't have got the bike back without it. translated from English
I was contacted via Bike Index. translated from English
Santa Monica Police did a fantastic job by being quick, effective, and on point. Registering with Bike Index and keeping the serial number were instrumental in retrieving the bike. translated from English
Thanks to Bike Index. A woman saw the ad on FB marketplace - I was also notified by Bike Index. She purchased the bike then looked it up online and saw it listed as stolen and contacted me. translated from English
EPS caught the bike thief and returned my bike. This was due to this great Bike Index site. EPS highly recommend this site and so do I. Spending the time to record my bike serial was the key according to the police. translated from English
I got my bike on May 14 after my bike was stolen on May 11. Bike Index really helps to increase exposure and awareness among civilians and law enforcement for bike recovery. translated from English
An honest pawn broker checked Bike Index, then reported the attempted sale to the Edmonton Police Service's Pawn Detail. There was extra help from our local 'stolen bikes' citizen's group, and from the Twitterverse. translated from English
Security at a mall found it and used Bike Index to match the description to my bike. They contacted me through the website. I went in the next day and sure enough it was mine. Thank you for this amazing program! translated from English
Someone bought our stolen bike and saw it on Bike Index after buying it. They were nice enough to give it back to us. Thank you Bike Index!! We never thought we'd see it again. translated from English
People found this on Kijiji and also marked stolen on Bike Index and messaged me. It was stolen two days ago and I already got it back. Thank you so so much. translated from English
Thieves tried to sell it to a local bike shop. They recognized the bike from Bike Index and held on to it and notified the police. translated from English
Calgary Police were running a search on stolen credit cards and found the bike among others. Using Bike Index, they quickly identified it as ours. translated from English
Two folks who saw my bike on Bike Index contacted me to let me know that they saw it on Facebook Marketplace. I managed to get it back the next day! translated from English
Someone's garage was broken into and their bike was stolen. He called me - apparently the thief arrived on my bike and left on his. He found me through Bike Index. translated from English
A kind person realized he had severely underpaid for a nice bicycle that was likely stolen and searched for the serial on Bike Index. It was a hit! I received an e-mail from him through Bike Index and the next day the bike was back in my possession. translated from English
The RCMP recovered the bike almost exactly 2 years after it was stolen. They were able to find me using the Bike Index database! Thank you! translated from English
I found my bike for sale on Craigslist. I got a call a day later that someone had bought my bike and found it on Bike Index after the sale. I paid them what they paid for the bike, and got it back to a shop for an inspection. translated from English
The bike was sold near South Lake Union. The purchaser was very kind enough to check the serial number and reach out to me. He found the missing bike's information through Bike Index. translated from English
My Bike Index ad was posted on a local Facebook group. Someone posted my found bike on Instagram, which was re-posted on the Facebook group, and a member used my phone number from the Bike Index post to contact me. translated from English
The police found it (telling me that they identified it through Bike Index) when checking out a car full of stolen stuff. translated from English
A Bike Index user re-tweeted the initial tweet that went out. He wrote that he possibly spotted it and gave the location. Police helped recover it. From listing it stolen on Bike Index to recovery took 38 hrs. Social media at its best! translated from English